If they can promise us they will slow down, then that is cool. If they start releasing the vOTC-2 at the same rate as RotS (60+ figures in 6 months), I'll go crazy.

If they can break it down to 4-6 new figures once every other month, then I'm OK with it (even at $10 a figure w/ the fancy clamshell).

Jeff

That's exactly what I'm thinking. I wouldn't mind VOTC figures (super-articulation, clamshells, etc) from all movies, but I would like them to limit it to 24 to 36 figures a year (4 to 6 per film). At a $10 price point, this wouldn't be that bad. Maybe they could have army builder sets like the upcoming Stormtrooper Evolution set but with other troopers to help out with army building. I would really have them focus on quality over quantity in terms of figures. I have a ton of old POTF2 figures that are completely worthless aside from custom fodder...

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The scariest thing that I've ever seen,Is the terrible AT-AT walking machine.It's as big as a house on walking legs,and whatever it steps on it crushes like eggs.

Slower release schedule and having the releases more spread-out is definitely the way to go if figures are going to start costing us $10 a pop.

Let's face it - in the vintage line there wasn't even 100 figures. Between OTC, Post-OTC, ROTS Sneak Preview and ROTS, we've had over 100 figures - all released within a ten month window. That's A LOT of product.

If they want to gear the line more towards collectors, release VOTC level product and produce a wave of four every other month - for a total of 24 figures per year - I would really be happy with that level of production since that's only $480 per year for me.

If however they are going to release regular waves of $5/$6 basic figures at one wave per month, I'm done for.

Quality (as opposed to shear quantity) should be the focus of the line for the forseeable future - only time it should revert back to Saga/ROTS release mentality is if they break-off and have a line of figures dedicated to a TV series.

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Peter

Letting my collecting OCD get the better of me on a DAILY basis... and loving EVERY minute of it!

I'm excited to hear that Hasbro will (purportedly) be reverting back to that classic OTC card design, so that's definitely cool. Probably won't be called "OTC" anymore though, since I'm sure the figures being offered will be from the entire Saga, and not just the OT. So it'll be pretty much like the "Post-OTC" run just prior to Saga. Wonder if they'll just call it "Saga 2", or come up with a more clever moniker for the new line.

I'm also quite curious as to when this line will really start. If Mark's indeed right, and there are only 12 more figures in the ROTS line beyond the original 56, then that would mean any new line would likely have to start around September of this year, unless they start sticking other non-ROTS figures onto the ROTS styled cards (which I'd rather they not, personally).

As for the return of the VOTC, that's exciting news, though I highly doubt they're going to rehash the entire vintage figure run on those cards. That wouldn't really make sense, if you're talking SA high quality type of figures. A lot of those old vintage figures would be just fine on basic cards at the $5 price point. Since I was getting at least 4 of each VOTC figure, there's no way I'm gonna want to keep up that pace for another 80+ figures.

I think they should just limit the VOTC line to the main characters, and top army builders (unless they drop the price). Those are the characters most of us really want to see in the super-articulated style of figures, after all.

I'd also enjoy it if Hasbro sticks with the movie-themed waves for consistency's sake, at least for starters. Do a vintage "POTF" card with a few of the key stragglers from the OT, and then do a 4-figure series for each prequel flick, and then maybe back to some more OT, or some of the top army builders.

Lots of possibilities for sure, though the upcoming "Evolutions" assortment will likely nullify some of the key figures that would make for good VOTC choices (Maul, Dooku, Clones, etc.). But if they go with the VOTC, I'd like to see them better accesorize them this time, ala the Evolutions figures, with all potential accessories for a respective figure, including some possible head/helmet/limb swaps. If they just did that, I could probably stomach the $10 pricepoint a little better...

Why would you get rid of your entire collection that you already have because VOTC would be $10? I am not understanding that part of your post?

Well, the short version is that I have a tendency to catastrophize everything that happens in life. My default way of thinking is "worst case scenario" the majority of the time, and while some may see this as a really bad way of looking at things (and I do agree with that somewhat), it also means I'm hardly ever disappointed.

Why I responded the way I did to the Swami's post about Hasbro wanting to do all the vintage figures (ideally) in a VOTC line was because I, like JediMAC, am a completist. Now, I'm not nearly as driven as he is, since I only buy one of everything and I open them all (with a few exceptions). At this point in my life, I'm literally running out of room and it's becoming harder and harder for me to justify shelling out money for toys when I'm going through some rather rough times physically and emotionally.

I'm barely able to handle 5.50 a figure at this point and I know that a lot of other people feel this way too. If Hasbro were to suddenly decide that, with the films over and the TV show a year or so away, they were *only* going to release figures in a VOTC clamshell at a 10 dollar price point, it would be the end of my collecting days. Not only because I couldn't afford the figures anymore, but because any excitement I had would be gone due to my inability, financially, to obtain figures I would want.

Thankfully, it sounds as if this might not be the case (and I'm certainly not going to become completely irrational because of a single report, credible though it has been in the past) and that VOTC will be a subline or maybe even speaking of the quality of the figures at a 6 dollar price point (the report is really vague, as usual). But I was just saying that if Hasbro does decide to go "all VOTC, all the time", that would be the point where I finally just threw up my hands and left the 4" collecting to everyone else.

As for the selling of the collection thing, it's something I've been considering for a long time due to the aforementioned health and space concerns. There would still be some things I would like to keep, but on the whole, not a lot of 4" stuff would end up making the cut.

Disclaimer: I'm one of those rare souls who thought the VOTC was overrated -- rehashes of characters that have already been done a billion times for cheaper. Also, they're packaged with utterly unnecessary clamshells -- people that wish to clamshell their figures are more than welcome to do so, but they should buy their own instead of me being forced to pay extra for something I don't need. The only one I bought was Chewie, and only because I was army-building to recreate the "awesome" Kashyyyk battle that turned out to be a big bust relative to the hype -- but I digress.

I wouldn't be opposed to a limited continuation of VOTC, especially if it's cool stuff that needs it, such as Jango Fett or the Tusken Raider.

But like you guys, I can't see them redoing the entire Vintage run in VOTC -- do we really need a SA Malakili or Chief Chirpa, particularly at a $10 price point? Well, I know a lot of us collectors would buy them , but Hasbro knows the demand just isn't there on the general market.

If they go exclusively $10 VOTC for everything, then I call it quits. I'll cut back to about 5 figures a year and that's it (well, except for catching up on previous stuff as I come across it). And that would make me really sad.

And while I don't adore the OTC cards as much as some do, I'd prefer a return to that style instead of this silly ROTS packing.

I agree with Scott that, at best, these are $8 figures... The bubble and cardbacks were special, they took extra work/effort... Packaging can be pricey, and that was probably as price (per item) as it gets.

If they're doing every figure from the vintage line (I'm somehow doubtful of that, but one never knows) then I think the cost of packaging becomes somewhat negated...

I'm not AGAINST more VOTC... I think the quality in the VOTC is unmatched, even in ROTS's line (short of their SA figures and perhaps the Royal Guard/Senate Guard).

So to that end, I'd like more VOTC, but at $10 a pop I'm hesitant to let out a big "Yay!" on this one. I guess we'll have to see what manner the VOTC could pan out.

I'm glad to hear the OTC style in general will come back. I think it's the best to-date, and the most representative of Star Wars as a franchise. I'm not a packaging fan, that's why I generally don't touch on it in my reviews, but even I was saving some of those OTC cardbacks.

It's not that I'm opposed to having a super articulated Count Dooku or Darth Maul, nothing of the sort. It's the whole association of anything prequel with the concept of Vintage.

TPM was released a whopping six years ago. There was never any vintage association with it. The card backs for all three movies have been dramatically different - Episode I's Maul cardback, Saga for Episode II and now that POS-Shrek inspired card for ROTS.

Part of the beauty of VOTC and the original run of vintage figures is that the cardbacks were consistent to the point of instant recognition. Slap a cardback from each of the three prequel films side by side and tell me what you see? Fickle, trendy cash grab. Granted that's nothing more than a sign of the times (witness the continual betrayal of sport franchise history simply to get more marketing dollars) but I for one don't like it.

By all means, give us ultimate sculpts of prequel characters (you know, just like that awesome VOTC R2) but please don't debase the whole vintage concept.

As for price, well, they're already losing me on the regular stuff as it is, so jacking up the price for a clamshell and a cardback I may selectively be opposed to is not going to fly well with me.

Brent, what many people have suggested for prequel VOTC is creating vintage-style cards with new photos and prequel logos. While it strikes me as tacky and artificial, it makes more sense than trying to pass off the EpI, Saga, and ROTS cards as any form of vintage anything. At least the subline would be consistent.

Of course from a vintage collector's POV, bastardizing the old cardstyle in this way might be more offensive than reusing PT cards.

Why would you get rid of your entire collection that you already have because VOTC would be $10? I am not understanding that part of your post?

Well, the short version is that I have a tendency to catastrophize everything that happens in life. My default way of thinking is "worst case scenario" the majority of the time, and while some may see this as a really bad way of looking at things (and I do agree with that somewhat), it also means I'm hardly ever disappointed.

Why I responded the way I did to the Swami's post about Hasbro wanting to do all the vintage figures (ideally) in a VOTC line was because I, like JediMAC, am a completist. Now, I'm not nearly as driven as he is, since I only buy one of everything and I open them all (with a few exceptions). At this point in my life, I'm literally running out of room and it's becoming harder and harder for me to justify shelling out money for toys when I'm going through some rather rough times physically and emotionally.

I'm barely able to handle 5.50 a figure at this point and I know that a lot of other people feel this way too. If Hasbro were to suddenly decide that, with the films over and the TV show a year or so away, they were *only* going to release figures in a VOTC clamshell at a 10 dollar price point, it would be the end of my collecting days. Not only because I couldn't afford the figures anymore, but because any excitement I had would be gone due to my inability, financially, to obtain figures I would want.

Thankfully, it sounds as if this might not be the case (and I'm certainly not going to become completely irrational because of a single report, credible though it has been in the past) and that VOTC will be a subline or maybe even speaking of the quality of the figures at a 6 dollar price point (the report is really vague, as usual). But I was just saying that if Hasbro does decide to go "all VOTC, all the time", that would be the point where I finally just threw up my hands and left the 4" collecting to everyone else.

As for the selling of the collection thing, it's something I've been considering for a long time due to the aforementioned health and space concerns. There would still be some things I would like to keep, but on the whole, not a lot of 4" stuff would end up making the cut.

Ok, I see what you mean. I don't know how much longer I will collect either. I really should not be buying any Star Wars products with moving and having a newborn etc. To be honest the only way I got most of the VOTCs were from using our Toys R Us gift cards that practically everyone we knew gave us as baby shower gifts. My wife would let me get one figure every now and then when we were getting baby supplies, etc.

I just don't want Hasbro putting out more than 12 of these VOTCs a year. Or some number around that. I hope they won't reissue/rehash like they did for OTC. I let it slide because of the OT DVD "problem" of not getting time to make new figures in time for the release. Now they don't have that excuse.

However, we are at the point where Hasbro has made about every character imagineable that will see. So, I can see them reverting to past characters...A LOT! I just hope we still get unmade figs at a fairly decent clip. If not that could actually kill it for me.

Brent, what many people have suggested for prequel VOTC is creating vintage-style cards with new photos and prequel logos. While it strikes me as tacky and artificial, it makes more sense than trying to pass off the EpI, Saga, and ROTS cards as any form of vintage anything. At least the subline would be consistent.

Of course from a vintage collector's POV, bastardizing the old cardstyle in this way might be more offensive than reusing PT cards.

The latter point is a good summation of my objections to this.

I have no objection to getting really well done versions of any figure - a super poseable Maul (Evolutions?) or Qui-Gon would be super. But I'm 100% positive they'll at least screw up part of it (hello, C-3PO?) and that irks me. I'm also not keen on the price point given we have the SA clones at regular retail. Others have made that point better than I could.

Don't get me wrong, I'll be entirely hypocritical and support the damn line, I just want to complain about it.

I see a lot of talk (is that possible?) about a $10 SRP. Let's not forget that nothing has been disclosed in regards to price. Hell, for that matter the idea is not even official (although it's highly plausible).

Personally, I think they will go away with the fancy dancy packaging and produce the figures we have come to love from the OT - super duper detail (ala the VOTC).